Paragliding is a fun sport that evolved from parachuting in the mid 80's. Clever designers, manufacturers and safety authorities have used modern day technology and materials to create a lightweight and effective way for us to fly.

Paragliding is pure gliding flight in it's simplest form and using rising thermic air it's possible to climb to great heights and fly long distances. Current records exceed more than 6000m in altitude and over 450kms of straight flight.

The whole package is very transportable. A paraglider with harness and all associated equipment weighs around 18kgs and fits into a moderate sized back pack that stores easily into the boot of a car. Recent intermediate paragliders have speeds of around 50kph and glide angles of more than 8.5:1 and before marketing have been designed and certified to conform to a number of very strict safety tests.

Learning to fly in the alps is fun, the weather is reliable, it's hot in the summer and the views are absolutely stunning.  The training facilities are excellent and anyone from the age of 14 years can enrol onto a course! Though the training is not overly strenuous, good fitness is beneficial. 

  Why France?

Paragliding is a weather dependant sport and from April to October the weather here in the mountains is excellent: we experience ideal training conditions, perhaps some of the best in Europe! More details on the weather can be found on the 'Flying Weather' page.

In France paragliding schools, training syllabus formats are controlled by the French Federation of Vol Libre, FFVL, a professional federation that many other countries admire. Paragliding instructors are government trained sports teachers and have been trained to the highest levels and hold the BEES (Brevet d'Etat d'educateur sportif) qualification.

Our school 'Centre Ecole de Parapente' (CEP) has been established for 19 years and the English speaking instructors have many years of experience. In the school we have the latest equipment and we pride ourselves on teaching pilots to a high levels. The school based at 'Plaine Joux' south west of Chamonix Valley, overlooks the Mont Blanc Massive. We have excellent hill training slopes adjacent to the school building and we are just a few metres away from one of the best flying sites in region.

  How long does it take to learn?

To be realistic in a school environment it takes around 12-15 days* to become a safe and competent pilot where you would be ready to free fly with little or no instruction. However, flying paragliders is more of a career in flying, soaring and thermalling, we never stop learning, that's what makes it such a fantastic sport!

* This learning time substantially decreases when enrolling on a 'Direct Instruction' course, with one-to-one training, often achieving the same results in half the time. Please see the 'Direct Instruction' pages.

The school course training is split into 3 separate 5 day weeks, the 'Initiation Course' then the 'Perf Vert' and 'Perf Bleu' courses. All three courses can be taken individually or back to back, and they don't have to be completed in the same year. Many of our school clients spread their training over three years giving them an adventure holiday week each year. Some clients take the 'Initiation Course' here then continue training in their home country. More details
of this are found below in the licensing section.

  How to start...

The Initiation course is fun and a great introduction into the sport: learning is easy and progression is made quickly.  All school or group clients are enrolled with our French school (CEP) and courses run from April to October starting every Monday. Your feet leave the ground on the 1st day and by day 3 you make your first big top to bottom solo flights. By Friday the new pilot would have more than 2 hours airtime made up from a number of solo flights 15-20 minutes long.

  Here is a typical training week...

During the first 2 days you are working on the training hill learning how to layout the glider, inflate and steer whilst running down a slope in preparation for your first big launch. It's easy and after a little time you will be making short low flights on the shallow training slope: approximately 15 training hill flights will be made each day. The work on the training hill is very important and the more efficient you are with your running and launching the more small flights you will initially make!

By the third day you will be making your first big solo flights from high mountain sites where either minibus transport or cable cars carry you back to the launch area. During this and the following two days you will fly a minimum of 5 big solo flights, though clients often achieve 6-8 flights and from sites 700-1000m above the valley floor. As a new pilot you will be under constant radio supervision! 

Interesting and important classroom theory also takes place during the week, with lessons on understanding how our wings fly, aerodynamics and air flows, to how the weather effects our flying.

The 'Initiation Course' cost  for 2008 is 450 Euros for April, May, June and September and 500 Euros during July and August, plus 20 Euros training insurance. The training insurance is for third party risks and only has a little medical cover included. It is advisable to take out a good holiday insurance from your country that includes medical, repatriation and cancellation cover and bring an EHIC card. A 'European Health Insurance Card' (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost and sometimes free medical treatment if it becomes necessary while you're in a European Economic area (EEA) country.

Attention! Please note that the French training insurance requires a doctor's letter stating that you are basically fit. Just ask for a basic health check for blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and general fitness. A full medical check is not required unless you feel it's necessary or that you are over 50!. It's worthwhile obtaining this before your visit as you will need it the first morning when enrolling and before you start training. If you already have a letter then it's valid for 3 years for the under 40's and two years for the over 40's.  Air sports Insurance Bureau Ltd is a good option if insurance is required. Tel. +44 01983 298480 or e-mail to airsports@bhpa.co.uk

  What is included in the Initiation Course?

The French school provides 5 days of training, glider, harness, safety helmet, radio and transportation to and from the launch/landing sites during the training, but not cable car costs. As equipment is of limited size there is a naked weight limit of 120kgs. For your part. You will need to bring ankle high/supporting walking boots, long sleeved top and long trousers, a lightweight windproof top, gloves, sun tan cream, plenty of bottled water and lunch, though there are restaurants at the training area.

  Not included in the course!

Accommodation, transport to and from the school and personal health insurance. For somewhere to stay at please go to the 'Accommodation' page for our details.

The CEP school is based at 'Plaine Joux' above the Passy Valley to the south west and 20kms or 40 minutes by road from Chamonix town. The Flyers Lodge is a 20 minute drive from the school and just a few minutes from the landing site. Ideally a car is required as there are no reliable bus services in the area. Transport to and from the lodge each day is offered at a nominal charge.

  Initiation course conclusion!

Many people ask if they would be ready to free fly by themselves after the first week of training? Well it really depends how the student responds to the 'Initiation Course' training. The school training received during this first week brings you into an early stage of paragliding flight and all the training in the air would have been received with radio contact. Ideally the new pilot needs to be able to launch and land by themselves and make their own decisions in the air without assistance before venturing off on their own. This would normally be achieved sometime during the third week of school or group training. However, more intensive 'Direct Instruction' brings the new pilot on quickly often halving the training time. Please see the 'Direct Instruction' pages for more detail

  Training assistance...

There are a number of very interesting books available covering our sport that are well worth reading and ideally before a course commences. 'The Art of Paragliding' by Denis Pagen is explanatory and very educational, an excellent read for the new pilot! Printed in A4 with 360 pages of very useful information, diagrams and photos. It costs just 40 Euros plus postage and is worth every centime.

For those who prefer watching a DVD. Here is the 'Learn to Fly' paragliding film. This DVD is perfect for all new pilots with 3D animation bringing to life many of the hard to visualise concepts which are so important for us to understand. Details on airflows around hills and mountains, turbulence and convergence, dynamics and thermal lift plus aerodynamics of lift and drag, speeds to fly and so on! This excellent DVD is just 39.95 Euros. plus postage!

'Thermal Flying' written by Burkhart Martins is a comprehensive guide packed with all sorts of hints and ideas aimed at all pilots. There are 260 pages all with excellent photos and illustrations explaining in detail the art of thermal flying. It includes a bonus section from the newly crowned World Champion and British pilot 'Bruce Goldsmith'. The book is directed at all standards of pilot, including the newly qualified and is one of the best books available. I can highly recommend this book at just 40 Euros plus postage!

  Next level training...

The 'Perf Vert', the second week of school training has a minimum of 12 flights made from different flying sites within the region. This course is designed to get you to make your own decisions whilst learning more about launch techniques, landing approach routes and landings, and when the conditions allow you will be introduced into some basic thermalling.

The 'Perf Bleu', the third week again has a minimum of 12 flights over the 5 days at different flying sites, though by now you will be accustomed to a few in the area. You will be flying a more advanced wing giving you increased speed and better glide over the basic performance of the training wing. This course is designed to get you thermalling and soaring in the high mountains, plus you will be learning a little about rapid decent techniques. The essence of this course is for you to find your confidence in most aspects of thermalling flight.

The cost for each of the 'Perf Vert' and 'Perf Bleu' courses for 2008 is 500 Euros for April, May, June and September and 550 Euros during July and August, plus 20 Euros training insurance. Both these courses run every week from April to late September.

The training insurance is for third party risks and only has a little medical cover included. It is advisable to take out a good holiday insurance from your country that includes medical, repatriation and cancellation cover and bring an EHIC card. A 'European Health Insurance Card' (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost and sometimes free medical treatment if it becomes necessary while you're in a European Economic area (EEA) country.

  Licensing...

In the United Kingdom the 'British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association', the BHPA controls the training, the licensing structure, the clubs and schools, similar to the French FFVL. Pilots free flying in the UK are required to belong to the BHPA and a flying club and hold the BHPA 'Club Pilot Certificate', the CPC licence. This licence is the second of four. It is proceeded by the 'Elementary pilot Certificate, the EPC licence and followed by the Pilot Licence and Advanced Pilots Licence.

In Europe some registered schools with locally qualified instructors work closely with the BHPA and their training syllabus. Fortunately we are one of them and we have the ' BHPA European Training Log Book' and the necessary examination papers for the completion of the tasks for the EPC certificate. In the same book there are the tasks for the CPC certificate and a number of these tasks can be completed. However, some ideally should be completed in the UK as they are relevant to the UK flying conditions that differ from those here.

During the 'Initiation Course' the French training you receive has been monitored to the cover the tasks required for the BHPA - EPC licence. Then there is some additional classroom work, reading and an examination to pass for completion of the EPC licence.

Once the EPC is completed you may continue with the BHPA - CPC training either in the UK or with us here. The French 'Perf Vert' and 'Perf Bleu' course syllabus covers the majority  of the BHPA tasks. It is also possible to revise and sit the CPC written exam with us too!

We work closely with a UK school ' Beyond Extreme' based in Shropshire where final CPC tasks can be completed and the final signing-off by the Chief Flying Instructor so the CPC licence can be obtained. This extra work in the UK takes just a couple of days. On completion of both EPC and CPC levels it is necessary to join the BHPA to claim the licence. Membership details can be found at www.bhpa.co.uk

Dennis can help you revise for both EPC and CPC exams. He makes a charge of 75 Euros for the  BHPA -EPC classroom theory training and examination, and 100 Euros for the BHPA-CPC classroom theory training and examination.

  Non UK clients..

The French log/training book you are given at the end of your training can be presented to your local school as proof of work completed.

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Please note: it is important to choose a professional school with fully qualified, registered and insured instructors. In France you may only legally train with French qualified instructors in all aspects of training. Foreign instructors that are not French qualified or registered are breaking the law and you will find yourself uninsured in all aspects or your training!